Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice said earlier this week he expects Ty Dillon to return to the organization for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Rice told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that they are in negotiations with Dillon, and a new deal should come together soon.
“We’re still in negotiations. I think by Friday we’ll 100% know. We’re real close to having Ty’s deal done again for 2026,” Rice said.
Dillon, 33, can be described as a bit of a journeyman. He has struggled to hold down one ride throughout his career, though it looks like he’s found a home at Kaulig. While the points standings will tell you Dillon is 32nd among the 36 full-time drivers, the overall results have been more encouraging.
Dillon has contended for wins a handful of times, notably finishing eighth at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta). He has 10 finishes of 20th or better, a remarkable achievement considering the low expectations for Dillon coming into the season.
Ty Dillon has performed above expectations in 2025
“We feel like he’s done a good job,” Rice said. “He’s had some ups and downs, yes, but he hasn’t done what everyone though he was gonna do — run around last and be way off the pace. He’s actually been in contention at some races.
“… Ty has done a really good job for us. The thing that makes us better is we are better as an organization on the Cup side. We run faster; we’ve had speed. To get in the playoffs is really tough. … For us to be in the conversation, I think Ty is part of that. He’s pushed us to be better in certain areas. I think we’ll make him better if he gets one more year in the car.”
Then there was the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Dillon, the No. 32 seed, knocked off No. 1 seed Denny Hamlin in Round 1, and rode the momentum all the way to the Champions Round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Yes, Ty Gibbs defeated him to win the $1 million prize. But nobody expected Dillon to get that far and yet, he did.
“We’re finding ourselves as a bulldog of a team,” Dillon said ahead of the race at Indianapolis. “We’re going to fight until the end, and don’t count us out until the last lap.
“We want to pull all these teams out to the deep water and then see who can survive the deep, deep water with us. Because we know we’re tougher than them.”
